Boehly Center hosts 4th Annual Financial Services Roundtable
The Trump administration and its impact on the nation's financial climate was the subject of the Mason School's fourth annual Financial Services Roundtable. Hosted by the Boehly Center for Excellence in Finance on Wednesday, February 8th, and entitled “The New, New Normal: What Should We Expect Under the Trump Administration?”, the roundtable featured industry experts who discussed ways that the new administration could affect the economy.
The event was moderated by Carl Tack '78, Clinical Professor of Finance and the Co-director of the Boehly Center. Panelists included Peter W. Atwater ’83, founder of Financial Insyghts, LLC and author of the book Moods and Markets; Brian Hiestand, Chief Investment officer for the William & Mary Foundation; and David Jallits, Chief Investment Officer for Signature Family Wealth Advisors. "The purpose of the event is to expose students to the considered views of a broad array of industry professionals on topics of contemporary relevance to the financial services industry," Professor Tack explained. "We are able to do this by taking advantage of the presence on campus of the many successful financial services executives who return to Williamsburg each year to participate in various University events and to serve their alma mater, in this case as trustees on the Foundation Board."
Tack kicked off the discussion by asking panelists to share their thoughts on the potential market response to Trump and his policies. Throughout the conversation, they offered expert opinions and personal perspectives detailing how the new administration could reshape the financial climate – for better and worse.
Students, faculty, alumni and Executive Partners attended the Financial Roundtable and were able to join the discussion during the energetic question and answer session. Alicia Draper '20 felt she benefited from the insight. “I find it vital to understand what changes we may expect in the financial sectors throughout the next four years,” she said. “It’s scary, but we need to talk about it, and if we want to progress as a nation we must be willing to turn this fear into empowerment.” Sophomore Andrew Meadows had a different takeaway. "No one fully understands how Trump's policies will affect the Financial Services Sector and the general economy. Overall, I think we should heed Mr. Jallitis' advice and give Trump some time,” he noted.
Tovia Rosner ’19 appreciated the opportunity to discuss the issue with industry experts. “I feel very fortunate to have leading professionals and William & Mary leaders come and discuss the potential economic outcome from a new administration.”
Bios
Moderator:
Carl Tack ’78 Raymond A. Mason School of Business
Mr. Tack is a Clinical Professor of Finance and Co-Director of the Boehly Center. He currently teaches an undergraduate course in financial institutions and a graduate course in applied corporate finance. He began his professional career as a corporate lawyer with Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago, representing private equity and venture capital firms. After several years of legal practice, Mr. Tack joined Salomon Brothers as an investment banker in Chicago. He then worked for Merrill Lynch in Chicago and London and for Deutsche Bank in London, where he was co-head of the global telecommunications investment banking practice and vice-chairman of the global TMT group. Mr. Tack retired from investment banking in 2009 and has since served as a managing partner of a Dubai-based telecoms consulting business, director of a US based public manufacturing company, and lecturer in Finance. Prior to teaching at William & Mary, he lectured at the London Business School in London and Dubai. Mr. Tack received his B.A. in Economics from William & Mary and his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School.
Panelists:
Peter W. Atwater ‘83 Financial Insyghts, LLC.
Mr. Atwater founded Financial Insyghts, LLC. in 2008 to provide research on the financial services industry to money managers and hedge funds. Today, his firm advises asset managers, corporations and public policymakers on the role of confidence in human decision-making. Prior to forming hid consulting firm, Mr. Atwater was a financial services executive. A lifelong creative thinker and a pioneer in securitization, he built and then ran JPMorgan’s asset-backed securities business. Over his career, he then served as Treasurer of First USA and Bank One, CEO of Bank One Private Client Services and CFO of Juniper Financial. Mr. Atwater writes and speaks extensively about how changes in confidence affect our preferences, decisions and actions. He is the author of the book Moods and Markets (FT Press, 2012) and a contributor to Time Magazine and to the World Policy Institute. Mr. Atwater’s work on confidence has been mentioned in The Financial Times, Reuters and Barron's, and he has been a commentator on television, appearing on CNBC, Bloomberg Television and Fox Business News. He is a member of the New America Foundation World Economic Roundtable and was a speaker at TEDx Wilmington in August 2013. Mr. Atwater received his B.A. from William & Mary, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and served on the investment committee for the University Foundation Board. This spring he is on campus as an adjunct professor in the Economics Department.
Brian Hiestand William & Mary Foundation
Mr. Hiestand joined the William & Mary Foundation in 2005 to serve as its first Chief Investment Officer overseeing all of the investment management functions for the endowment including asset allocation and manager selection and review. Prior to joining William & Mary, Mr. Hiestand was a Principal and Portfolio Manager at Harris Investment Management in Chicago and served as the first Director of Alternative Investments for the Indiana University Foundation in Bloomington, Indiana, where he launched their Alternative Investment Program for allocations to hedge funds, venture capital, private equity, and timberland. Among his accolades, Mr. Hiestand received the Institutional Investor Small Endowment of the Year Award in 2011. Mr. Hiestand received his B.S. and M.B.A. from Bowling Green State University.
David Jallits Signature Family Wealth Advisors
David Jallits is the Chief Investment Officer of Signature, primarily responsible for leading the firm’s portfolio management and research team. Prior to joining Signature, Mr. Jallits was with Cambridge Associates, an institutional investment advisor to foundations, endowments, families, corporations and government entities. While at Cambridge, he held a variety of positions within the firm, culminating in his position as Managing Director and Head of Global Investment Research. Before heading up Global Investment Research, he served as Cambridge Associates’ head of the investment advisory practice in their Arlington, VA office. In 2014, Mr. Jallits was named Hedge Fund Consultant of the Year by Institutional Investor Magazine. He has also served as a portfolio manager at various institutions including Citibank, Putnam, Teton Partners and the Capital Fund where he was charged with responsibility for allocating capital across commodity, credit, currency and equity markets. Mr. Jallits is a member of the Board of Trustees for William & Mary Foundation and serves on the Investment Committee at Swarthmore College. He is also on the advisory board of Higher Admission. He earned his B.S. from the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign in Finance with a concentration in Economics.
